Photo Courtesy of The Strand
Officer Brandon Hanks, a well-known Black, Syracuse, New York police officer who filed a racial discrimination claim against the city, was disciplined shortly after posting a video that showed him listening to rap music.
According to Syracuse.com, Hanks, who once served as a unifier between the force and the Black community, now accuses the city of retaliation.
City officials are reportedly claimed to be reviewing the complaint received.
The incident for which Hanks is being reproached happened in February. According to the video, he was seen in his on-duty uniform and was in his own car at the time.
The main topic of debate regarding the video is that song features racial slang, which could allegedly be heard.
Police Chief Kenton Buckner told the outlet that music wasn’t the problem but the “racial slurs being used in the language with our officer on a personal Facebook post.”
The disciplinary action also came with a commentary about Hanks having captioned profane song lyrics to Facebook.
Buckner was later asked what the social media policy consisted of for the department, to which he said, “It’s pretty clear. Then for those who will say there are First Amendment rights, the law has been very, very clear that there are some restrictions for law enforcement.”
First Deputy Chief Joseph Cecile cited in the July 1 reprimand against Hanks that racial slang is against the department’s social media policy.
In his second filing with the city, Hanks’ defense is that the rap music heard in the video wasn’t coming from his car, as written by his lawyer, Jesse Ryder.
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Hanks’ lawyers state that his being reprimanded was retaliation and that only a thorough investigation could prove that Hanks wasn’t the one playing the music.